burns



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

J. A. BURNS.

. MILL APPLIANCE.

No. 482,861. Patented Sept. 20, 1892.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. BURNS.

MILL APPLIANCE. No. 482,861. Patented Sept. 20, 1892.

(Nb Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet a.

' J. A. BURNS.

MILL APPLIANCE.

Patented Sept. 20, 1892.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4 {No Model.)

J. A. BURNS. MILL APPLIANCE.

No. 482,861. Patented Sept. 20, 1892.

INVENTOR. 7 W Q WITNESSES WW Tn: "cams puns 00., PHOTO-LITNO.,wAsxmaYuu, o. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. BURNS, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA.

M|LL APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,861, datedSeptember 20, 1892.

Application filed September 3, 1891. Serial No. 404,664. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. BURNS, of Homestead, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Mill Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which- Figurelisa side elevationof my improved machine, showing the lifting-cylinder partly in verticalsection. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a planView showing the lifting-cylinder in horizontal section. Fig. 4 is aside view, on an enlarged scale, of a modified form of a portion of mymachine.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each of the views.

My invention is designed principally for lifting and carrying ingots bymeans of tongs and for operating the tongs to cause them to grasp andrelease the ingot. I intend, also, to claim it generally withoutlimitation to its application to this special purpose.

Referring to the drawings, 2. represents the car or platform of atraveling crane mounted on wheels 3 and adapted to travel on an over-'head track 4. Opposite wheels 3 are connected by an axle-shaft 5, havingthereon a gear-wheel 6, which is driven by a pinion 7 on a shaft 8. Theshafts is driven by a suitable engine 9, which is carried by the crane,so that on driving said engine the shaft will be rotated and willtransmit power to the axle 5, thereby propelling the crane on its track.

10 is a boiler, which is carried by the crane and which supplies steamto the engine 9.

11 is a trolley or carriage set on wheels on transverse tracks 12 on thecrane, so as to be capable of being moved laterally thereon. To move thecarriage on its tracks, I employ a screw-shaft 37, which fits in a nut38 on the carriage and is driven by an engine 39 and gearing 40. Thiscarriage carries an upright lifting-cylinder 13, preferably operatedhydraulically and suspended pivotally on trunnions 14 in a box 15, whichis also supported ontrunnions 15', situate at right angles to thetrunnions 14, so as to give the cylinder capacity for a double lateraladjustment on the carriage 11.

16 is the piston of the cylinder, having a hollow plunger 17, which,when the piston is at the end of its upstroke, projects from the lowerend of the cylinder. The cylinder is supplied with water from a pipe 18,which passes through one of the trunnions and leads from the valves ofpumps situated on stands 19. The pipe 18 is provided with a flexibleconnection to permit motion of the trolley on the crane. Water issupplied to the pumps from a tank 20, into which the exhaust from thecylinder also delivers.

At the lower end of the piston-rod 17 is a cross-head 21, provided withchains 22, extending to the arms 23 of ingot-tongs. Asec- 0nd suspendingdevice for the tongs is a rope 24, connected with the fulcrum of thetongs extending up through the hollow piston-rod 17 over sheaves 25 atthe top of the cylinder, and from thence to a drum 26, around which itis wrapped. The drum 26 is keyed to a shaft 27 (journaled in brackets onthe carriage 11) and is fixed to or madeintegral with a cog-wheel 28,which gears with a pinion 29. This pinion is arranged betweenshaft-bearings 31 on the carriage 11 and is set with afeather-and-spline traveling connection on a power-shaft 30, which isjournaledin the bearings 31 on the carriage and in a bearing 32 on thecrane. The shaft is provided with a friction-clutch 33, by which it maybe put into gear with and driven by a power-shaft 34, which is rotatedby means of a suitable engine. (Not shown.) By reason of the feather-andspline connection between the pinion 29 and shaft 30 the carriage 11 canbe moved back and forth on the crane'without interrupting the powerconnections between these parts.

is a pulley-wheel keyed to the shaft 27 of the drum 26 and enwrapped bya Weighted cord 36.

In the modification of Fig. 4another means for actuating the rope isshown. In this form the rope 24 passes to a pulley 26, as in the formercase, this pulley being secured to a short shaft 27, which bears thepulley-wheel 35 and weighted cord 36. To one end of this shaft is keyedone half of a clutch 41,- the;

other half of which is carried upon the end of a second shaft 42 in thesameline with the shaft 27. Upon the shaft 42 is attached by afeather-and-spline connection the pinion 43, which is located betweenthe two shaft-bearings 44. Engaging this pinion is a rack 45, which isactuated by the piston-rod of a suitable hydraulic cylinder 46, and uponthe shaft 42 is mounted a cam 47, which engages a suit-' able cam-faceupon a bracket 48, secured to the shaft-support.

The operation is as follows: The ingot-tongs shown in Fig. 2 may beraised and lowered vertically to the extent of the stroke of thecylinder 13 without operation of the arms 23 by moving the plunger 16vertically in the cylinder, the upward motion being effected byadmitting water to the cylinder below the plunger and the downwardmotionbeing offected by gravity, which acts on exhausting the motor. In suchdownward motion of the plunger the cord 24 is drawn down by the tongs,and in so moving unwinds itself from and turns the drum 26, turning alsothe shaft 30 and the pulley 35, on which it winds up the weighted cord36. On the upward motion of the plunger the slack of the cord 24 istaken up by the rotation of the drum 26, which is turned by the actionof the weighted cord 36 on the pulley 35. If in any position of thetongs it is desired to open them, this may be effected by moving thefriction-clutch 33 so as to connect operatively the shaft 34 with theshaft 30 and to drive the latter. The effect of this is to turn the drum26 and to wind thereon the cord 24, thereby raising the fulcrum of thetongs and correspondingly permitting the jaws of the tongs to diverge.0n again shifting the clutch so as to interrupt this power connectionthe fulcrum of the tongs will descend, thereby throwing the weight ofthe tongs on the suspending-chains 22 and causing the tongs to close.

In the form of Fig. 4, if it is desired to open the tongs, motive fluidbeing admitted to the cylinder 46 turns the shaft 42, and the cam,riding upon the face 48, pushes forward the shaft and causes the twohalves of the clutch to engage each other, the action then being.

the same as in the former case. This forms an efficient means foropening the tongs to release an ingot when the latter is resting on afloor or other support and for closing the same to engage an ingotpreparatory to lifting the same, the advantage of the mechanism beingthat the tongs can be operated, no matter what may be their verticalposition.

The device as a whole forms a very efficient means for lifting ingots,conveying them from place to place in a mill, and depositing them asdesired. As before stated the ingot is lifted by action of the cylinder13. The cylinder may be shifted laterally on the traveling crane byoperation of the screw 37, and the crane may be moved on its track bymeans of the propelling-engine 9, all the mechanism being under easycontrol of one or more men stationed on and carried by the crane. The

mounting of the lifting-cylinder on trunnions is of advantage, becauseit enables the cylinder to adjust itself without injury to anydeflection occasioned in the operation of the ton gs. I do not intend,however, to claim herein the general construction of the apparatus, butto claim only the mechanism for operating the tongs. This mechanism maybe varied in many ways by those skilled in the art. The drum and otherparts may be differently located and a spring or other device may besubstituted for the weight. Its advantages are that the tongs can beoperated very quickly by a short motion of the shaft 30, no matter whatmay be the vertical position of the tongs, and as the slack of theconnection is constantly taken up by the Weighted cord 36 the apparatusis simplified and made convenient and safe in operation.

I claim- 1. The combination, with atongs-lifter having attachments forthe tongs, of a flexible connection also connected with the tongs at adifierent point, a drum and weight by which the slack of the connectionis taken up, and a motor connected with the drum and adapted to supplythereto power in addition to the power afforded by the weight,substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combinatiomwith a tongs-lifter having attachments for the tongs,of a flexible connection also connected with the tongs at a diflerentpoint, a drum and weight by which the slack of the connection is takenup, a motor connected with the drum and adapted to supply thereto powerin addition to the power afforded by the weight, and a clutch adapted toconnect and disconnect the motor and drum, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

3. The combination of a lifting-cylinder having a hollow piston -rod, acord which passes through said piston-rod, a drum and weight by whichthe slack of the cord is taken up, and means for rotating the drum,substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination of a lifting-cylinder having a hollow piston -rod, acord which passes through said piston-rod, a drum and weight by whichthe slack of the cord is taken up, a shaft for rotating the drum, and aclutch for operating the shaft, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

5. The combination of a lifting-cylinder having a hollow piston rod, acord which passes through said piston-rod, a drum around which the cordpasses, a clutch arranged to engage the drum-shaft, a shaft upon whichthe clutch is mounted, said clutch-shaft having splined thereon a pinionand carrying a cam engaging a fixed cam-face, and a rack arranged toactuate said pinion, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day ofSeptember, A.D. 1891.

JAMES A. BURNS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT A. HEINER, O. BYRNES.

